Fuel supply device

Abstract

To provide a fuel supply device that can diffuse impurities and precipitates retained in a suction filter.SOLUTION: A fuel supply device supplies fuel stored in a fuel tank to an engine, and comprises: a fuel pump installed in the fuel tank; a suction filter for filtering the fuel to be sucked into the fuel pump; a fuel pipe for supplying the fuel discharged from the fuel pump to the engine; a first regulator provided in the fuel pipe, and for adjusting the pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump; a first branch pipe branching from the fuel pipe on the upstream side of the first regulator; and a first injection nozzle provided toward the suction filter, and leading to the first branch pipe.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fuel supply system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel supply device that supplies fuel stored in a fuel tank to an engine. This fuel supply device includes a fuel pump installed in the fuel tank, a suction filter that filters the fuel sucked into the fuel pump, a pressure regulator that regulates the pressure of the fuel in a pressure regulation path that is discharged from the fuel pump and supplied to the engine, and a fuel recovery flow path that recovers surplus fuel in the pressure regulation path to the tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-172342 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the fuel supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, impurities contained in the fuel and deposits contained in the biofuel are filtered by the suction filter and are retained on the surface of the suction filter. The impurities and deposits retained on the surface of the suction filter in this way can cause the suction filter to become clogged, which can lead to the engine stalling.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a fuel supply device capable of diffusing impurities and deposits trapped in a suction filter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A fuel supply device according to at least one embodiment of the present invention is a fuel supply device that supplies fuel stored in a fuel tank to an engine, and includes a fuel pump installed in the fuel tank, a suction filter that filters the fuel sucked into the fuel pump, a fuel pipe that supplies the fuel discharged from the fuel pump to the engine, a first regulator that is provided in the fuel pipe and adjusts the pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump, a first branch pipe that branches off from the fuel pipe upstream of the first regulator, and a first injection nozzle that is provided toward the suction filter and communicates with the first branch pipe.

[0007] According to the above configuration (1), the fuel discharged from the fuel pump and supplied to the first injection nozzle through the first branch pipe is injected toward the suction filter, thereby allowing impurities and deposits trapped in the suction filter to be diffused into the fuel in the fuel tank.

[0008] (2) In some embodiments, the configuration of (1) above further includes a sub-tank in which the fuel pump and the suction filter are housed and in which the suction filter is arranged along a bottom surface thereof, a second injection nozzle installed at the bottom of the sub-tank and having a flow path extending straight from the outside to the inside of the sub-tank, and a second branch pipe branching off from the fuel pipe upstream of the regulator and leading to the flow path from a side surface of the second injection nozzle.

[0009] According to the above configuration (2), fuel is supplied from the side of the second injection nozzle to a flow path provided in the second injection nozzle, so that the fuel outside the sub-tank is taken into the inside of the sub-tank, thereby making it possible to use up all the fuel in the fuel tank.

[0010] (3) In some embodiments, in the configuration described above in (1) or (2), a second regulator is provided in the first branch pipe to adjust the pressure of the fuel supplied to the first branch pipe.

[0011] According to the above configuration (3), the pressure of the fuel that passes through the first branch pipe and is injected from the first injection nozzle can be adjusted.

[0012] (4) In some embodiments, the configuration of (1) above further includes a light installed in the fuel tank to illuminate the suction filter, a camera installed in the fuel tank to photograph the suction filter illuminated by the light, and a monitor that displays the image of the suction filter photographed by the camera.

[0013] According to the above configuration (4), the impurities and precipitates trapped in the suction filter can be displayed on the monitor.

[0014] (5) In some embodiments, the configuration of (4) above further includes an electromagnetic on-off valve provided in the first branch pipe, and a switch for opening and closing the electromagnetic on-off valve.

[0015] According to the above configuration (5), the electromagnetic on-off valve provided in the first branch pipe is opened and closed by operating the switch, so that fuel can be injected from the first injection nozzle toward the suction filter at any desired timing.

[0016] (6) In some embodiments, the configuration of (5) above further includes a control device to which the camera and the electromagnetic on-off valve are connected, and the control device includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the electromagnetic on-off valve needs to be opened based on an image captured by the camera, and a control unit that causes the electromagnetic on-off valve to be opened when the determination unit determines that the opening operation is required.

[0017] According to the above configuration (6), when the judgment unit judges that it is necessary to open the electromagnetic on-off valve based on an image of the suction filter taken by the camera, the control unit opens the electromagnetic on-off valve, so that impurities and precipitates retained in the suction filter can be diffused into the fuel in the fuel tank. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, impurities and precipitates trapped in a suction filter can be diffused. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a fuel supply device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic mechanical configuration of a fuel control device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a driver's seat equipped with switches and a monitor. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the fuel supply device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a bitmap in which the color of each cell is converted into a numerical value and flag-determined. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a control operation of the fuel supply device illustrated in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of components described as the embodiments or shown in the drawings are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0021] [Outline of the fuel supply system] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a fuel supply device 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment is a fuel supply device that supplies fuel stored in a fuel tank 2 to an engine 3. The fuel stored in the fuel tank 2 is, for example, a biofuel that uses living organisms (biomass), but may also be a fossil fuel such as diesel or gasoline, or urea (AdBlue). The engine 3 is, for example, a diesel engine, but may also be a gasoline engine.

[0022] [Fuel supply system details] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic mechanical configuration of the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment includes a fuel pump 11, a suction filter 12, a fuel pipe 13, a regulator (first regulator) 14, a branch pipe (first branch pipe) 15, and an injection nozzle 16.

[0023] The fuel pump 11 is a fuel pump installed in the fuel tank 2, and is capable of discharging biofuel, fossil fuel such as diesel or gasoline, and urea (AdBlue) stored in the fuel tank 2. The suction filter 12 is a filter that filters the fuel sucked into the fuel pump 11, and is, for example, bag-shaped and disposed along the bottom surface of the fuel tank 2. The suction filter 12 is configured to suck in fuel from its tip, and impurities contained in the biofuel stored in the fuel tank, precipitates precipitated from the biofuel, and impurities contained in the fossil fuel and urea (AdBlue) are retained on the outer surface of the suction filter 12.

[0024] The fuel pipe 13 is a pipe that supplies the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 11 to the engine 3. The regulator 14 is a valve that is provided in the fuel pipe 13 and adjusts the pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 11.

[0025] The branch pipe 15 is a pipe branched from the fuel pipe 13 on the upstream side of the regulator 14. The injection nozzle 16 is a nozzle that is connected to the branch pipe 15 and is provided toward the suction filter 12. The injection nozzle 16 is formed so that the flow path cross-sectional area is smaller on the outlet side than on the inlet side in order to inject fuel at high speed. The injection nozzle 16 is at least one, but is not limited to one, and may be two or more. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, in the case where three injection nozzles 16a, 16b, and 16c are provided, two injection nozzles 16a and 16b are provided toward the tip end of the suction filter 12, and one injection nozzle 16c is provided on the rotating rotor 17 so as to be movable between the center and base end of the suction filter 12.

[0026] [Fuel supply system operation] In the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment, when the fuel pump 11 is operated, the biofuel or fossil fuel, and urea (AdBlue) in the fuel tank 2 are sucked into the fuel pump 11 through the suction filter 12. At this time, the biofuel, fossil fuel, and urea (AdBlue) are filtered, and impurities contained in the biofuel, deposits precipitated from the biofuel, and impurities contained in the fossil fuel and urea (AdBlue) remain on the outer surface of the suction filter 12 and are prevented from being sucked into the fuel pump 11. The fuel sucked into the fuel pump 11 is discharged from the fuel pump 11. The fuel pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 11 is adjusted by a regulator 14 provided in a fuel pipe 13, and the fuel is supplied to the engine 3.

[0027] By adjusting the fuel pressure with the regulator 14, the excess fuel is supplied to the injection nozzle 16 through the branch pipe 15 and is injected from the injection nozzle 16 toward the suction filter 12. As a result, impurities and deposits remaining on the outer surface of the suction filter 12 are blown away and diffused into the fuel in the fuel tank 2.

[0028] [Effects of the fuel supply system] According to the fuel supply device 1 of the embodiment, the fuel discharged from the fuel pump 11 and supplied to the injection nozzle 16 through the branch pipe 15 is injected toward the suction filter 12. This allows impurities and precipitates retained in the suction filter 12 to be diffused into the fuel in the fuel tank 2.

[0029] [Sub-tank, injection nozzle and branch piping] The fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment further includes a sub-tank 18, an injection nozzle (second injection nozzle) 19, and a branch pipe (second branch pipe) 20, but these are optional and not essential. The sub-tank 18 houses the fuel pump 11 and the suction filter 12, and the suction filter 12 is installed along the bottom surface of the sub-tank 18. The sub-tank 18 is, for example, a cylindrical container, but is not limited to this. The injection nozzle 19 is a nozzle installed at the bottom of the sub-tank 18 and provided with a flow path 19a that extends straight from the outside to the inside of the sub-tank 18. The branch pipe 20 branches off from the fuel pipe 13 upstream of the regulator 14 and leads to the flow path 19a from the side surface of the injection nozzle 19.

[0030] [Operation of sub-tank, injection nozzle and branch pipe] By adjusting the fuel pressure with the regulator 14, the surplus fuel is supplied to the injection nozzle 19 through the branch pipe 20, and then through the flow path 19a provided in the injection nozzle 19 from the side of the injection nozzle 19 to the inside of the sub-tank 18. Accordingly, the fuel outside the sub-tank 18 is taken into the inside of the sub-tank 18.

[0031] [Effects of sub-tanks, injection nozzles and branch piping] According to the sub-tank 18, the injection nozzle 19 and the branch pipe 20, fuel is supplied from the side of the injection nozzle 19 to the flow path 19a provided in the injection nozzle 19, and the fuel outside the sub-tank 18 is taken into the inside of the sub-tank 18, so that the fuel in the fuel tank 2 can be used up to the last drop.

[0032] [Regulator] The fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment further includes a regulator (second regulator) 21 that is provided in the branch pipe 15 and adjusts the pressure of the fuel supplied to the branch pipe 15, but the regulator 21 is optional and not essential. The pressure of the fuel supplied to the injection nozzle 16 through the branch pipe 15 is adjusted by the regulator 21 and then supplied to the injection nozzle 16. The regulator 21 makes it possible to adjust the pressure of the fuel injected from the injection nozzle 16 through the branch pipe 15.

[0033] [Lights, camera and monitor] The fuel supply device according to the embodiment includes a light 22, a camera 23, and a monitor 24, but these are optional and not essential. The light 22 is a light that is installed in the fuel tank 2 and illuminates the suction filter 12, and is configured, for example, as an LED light. The camera 23 is a camera that is installed in the fuel tank 2 and photographs the suction filter 12 illuminated by the light 22. The camera 23 is, for example, a bitmap camera. The bitmap camera can digitize the color of each cell of a bitmap image. The bitmap camera adopted in the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment is See3CAM_CU83-4KRGB-IR USB 3.2 Gen1 Camera manufactured by e-con System, but is not limited thereto. The monitor 24 is a monitor that displays the suction filter 12 photographed by the camera 23, and is installed at a position where it can be viewed by a passenger seated in the driver's seat, as shown in FIG. 3. The monitor 24 is, for example, a 10.5-inch large-screen monitor installed separately from the navigation monitor 4, but is not limited thereto.

[0034] [Lights, cameras and monitors working] The suction filter 12 is illuminated by a light 22 and photographed by a camera 23. The photographed suction filter 12 and the impurities and deposits retained on the suction filter 12 are displayed on a monitor 24.

[0035] [Light, camera and monitor effects] With the light 22, camera 23 and monitor 24, the suction filter 12 and the impurities and deposits retained in the suction filter 12 can be viewed on the monitor 24.

[0036] [Solenoid valves and switches] As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment further includes an electromagnetic on-off valve 25 and a switch 26, which are optional and not essential. The electromagnetic on-off valve 25 is provided in the branch pipe 15. The electromagnetic on-off valve 25 is, for example, an electromagnetic on-off valve that is normally closed and opens when energized. The switch 26 is a switch that opens and closes the electromagnetic on-off valve 25, and opens the electromagnetic on-off valve 25 for a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) when the switch 26 is turned on. As shown in FIG. 3, the switch 26 is provided in a position that can be operated together with the handle 5 and is close to the monitor 24. Specifically, the switch 26 is configured as a button switch 5a provided on the handle 5 or a lever switch 6a provided on the handle column 6, but is not limited thereto.

[0037] [Operation of solenoid valves and switches] The electromagnetic on-off valve 25 is, for example, normally closed, and the fuel pressure is adjusted by the regulator 14, so that excess fuel is supplied to the injection nozzle 19 through the branch pipe 20. On the other hand, when the switch 26 is turned on to open the electromagnetic on-off valve 25, the fuel pressure is adjusted by the regulator 14, so that excess fuel is supplied to the injection nozzle 16 through the branch pipe 15, and is injected from the injection nozzle 16 towards the suction filter 12. As a result, impurities and deposits remaining on the outer surface of the suction filter 12 are blown away and diffused into the fuel in the fuel tank 2.

[0038] [Effects of solenoid valves and switches] According to the electromagnetic on-off valve 25 and the switch 26, the electromagnetic on-off valve 25 provided in the branch pipe 15 is opened and closed by operating the switch 26, so that fuel can be injected from the injection nozzle 16 toward the suction filter 12 at any desired timing.

[0039] [Control device] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment further includes a control device 27 (hereinafter referred to as "ECU 27") to which the camera 23 and the electromagnetic on-off valve 25 are connected, but the ECU 27 is optional and not essential. The ECU 27 includes a determination unit 28 that determines whether or not the electromagnetic on-off valve 25 needs to be opened based on an image captured by the camera 23, and a control unit 29 that opens the electromagnetic on-off valve 25 when the determination unit 28 determines that the opening operation is necessary.

[0040] The determination unit 28, for example, digitizes the color of each cell of a bitmap image captured by a bitmap camera, and sets the flag of the cell to true if the value is within a predetermined range, and sets the flag of the cell to false if the value is not within the predetermined range. Then, when the number (proportion) of cells with false flags to the number of cells with false flags exceeds a predetermined ratio, it determines that the solenoid valve needs to be opened.

[0041] In this embodiment, if the color of a cell is black, the numerical value is recognized as (0,0,0), and if the color of the cell is white, the numerical value is recognized as (255,255,255). Assuming that the color of impurities and precipitates ranges from yellow to red, the flag of the cell is established when the numerical value of the cell is within the range of (255,255,0:yellow) to (255,0,0:red), and the flag of the cell is not established when the numerical value is not within the range of (255,255,0:yellow) to (255,0,0:red). Then, when the number of cells with established flags to the number of cells with unestablished flags exceeds a predetermined ratio (e.g., 0.5), it is determined that the solenoid valve needs to be opened.

[0042] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, if the bitmap image captured by the bitmap camera has 25×25 (624) cells, and the number of cells with flags not established / the number of cells with flags established is greater than 0.5, it is determined that the electromagnetic valve 25 needs to be opened.

[0043] For example, when the determining unit 28 determines that an opening operation is required, the control unit 29 opens the electromagnetic on-off valve 25 for a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds).

[0044] [Control device operation] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an outline of the control operation of the fuel supply device 1 shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 6, when the vehicle equipped with the fuel supply device 1 according to this embodiment is keyed on (step S11: Yes), electricity is supplied to the light 22, the camera 23, the rotor 17, the ECU 27, and the monitor 24 (step S12). As a result, the light 22 is turned on, and the camera 23 takes an image of the suction filter 12 illuminated by the light 22 (step S13). The image of the suction filter 12 taken is output to the ECU 27 and the monitor 24, and is displayed on the monitor 24 (step S14). In the ECU 27, the determination unit 28 determines whether or not the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 25 needs to be opened based on the image of the suction filter 12 taken by the camera 23 (step S15). When the determination unit 28 determines that the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 25 needs to be opened (step S15: Yes), the control unit 29 opens the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 25 (step S16). As a result, the impurities and deposits retained in the suction filter 12 are diffused into the fuel in the fuel tank 2 .

[0045] [Effects of ECU] According to the ECU 27, when the judgment unit 28 judges that the electromagnetic on-off valve 25 needs to be opened based on the image of the suction filter 12 captured by the camera 23, the control unit 29 opens the electromagnetic on-off valve 25, so that the impurities and deposits retained in the suction filter 12 can be diffused into the fuel in the fuel tank 2.

[0046] [Injection mark] As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment may have an injection mark 7a on a display provided in the meter 7, and the injection mark 7a may flash when fuel is being injected from the injection nozzle 16.

[0047] [Thermal pixel monitor] As shown in FIG. 4, the fuel supply device 1 according to the embodiment may include a thermal pixel monitor 30 that detects and displays the temperature of the fuel tank (fuel), and fuel may be injected from the injection nozzle 16 only when the temperature of the fuel tank 2 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes modifications to the above-described embodiment and appropriate combinations of these modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Fuel supply device 2 Fuel tanks 3 Engine 4 Navigation Monitor 5 Handle 5a button switch 6 Steering column 6a Lever switch 7 Meter 7a Injection mark 11 Fuel pump 12 Suction filter 13 Fuel piping 14 Regulator (first regulator) 15 Branch piping (first branch piping) 16 Injection nozzle (first injection nozzle) 17 RPM rotor 18 Subtank 19 Injection nozzle (second injection nozzle) 19a Flow path 20 Branch piping (second branch piping) 21 Regulator (second regulator) 22 Light 23 Camera 24 Monitors 25 Solenoid valve 26 Switch 27 Control Unit (ECU) 28 Judgment section 29 Control Unit 30 Thermal pixel monitor

Claims

1. A fuel supply device that supplies fuel stored in a fuel tank to an engine, a fuel pump installed in the fuel tank; a suction filter that filters the fuel drawn into the fuel pump; a fuel pipe that supplies the fuel discharged from the fuel pump to the engine; a first regulator provided in the fuel pipe and configured to adjust a pressure of the fuel discharged from the fuel pump; a first branch pipe branching off from the fuel pipe on the upstream side of the first regulator; a first injection nozzle provided toward the suction filter and communicating with the first branch pipe; A fuel supply device comprising:

2. a sub-tank in which the fuel pump and the suction filter are housed, the suction filter being disposed along a bottom surface of the sub-tank; a second injection nozzle that is installed at the bottom of the sub-tank and has a flow path that extends straight from the outside to the inside of the sub-tank; a second branch pipe that branches off from the fuel pipe upstream of the first regulator and leads to the flow path from a side surface of the second injection nozzle; The fuel supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. 3. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a second regulator provided in the first branch pipe for adjusting a pressure of the fuel supplied to the first branch pipe.

4. a light installed in the fuel tank to illuminate the suction filter; a camera installed in the fuel tank for capturing an image of the suction filter illuminated by the light; a monitor that displays the suction filter photographed by the camera; The fuel supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

5. an electromagnetic on-off valve provided in the first branch pipe; a switch for opening and closing the electromagnetic valve; The fuel supply system according to claim 4 , further comprising:

6. a control device to which the camera and the electromagnetic opening / closing valve are connected, The control device includes: a determination unit that determines whether or not the electromagnetic on-off valve needs to be opened based on an image captured by the camera; a control unit that opens the electromagnetic on-off valve when the determination unit determines that the opening operation is required; 6. The fuel supply system of claim 5, comprising:

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